The present invention relates generally to a rear suspension system, and more particularly to an adjustable four-link suspension system for a high performance vehicle.
There are many types of suspension systems that are currently being utilized in the automotive industry, and specifically in the racing industry. Among these are ladder bar, torque arm, swing arm, three-link, and four-link suspension systems. Presently, four-link suspension systems are preferred for a variety of reasons. First, four-link suspension systems are compact in size. While typical ladder bars are about 34-36 inches in length, typical four-links are about 22 inches long. Four-link suspension systems provide a vehicle manufacturer with additional floor space, which allows the driver to sit further rearward in the vehicle with respect to the front end of the vehicle and thus, under the main roll cage area. Locating a driver further rearward allows more weight to be distributed towards the rear of the vehicle and thus, over the rear wheels. This also allows the driver to be more comfortable and gives the rear wheels of the vehicle more traction. Additionally, four-link designs make it easier to distribute loads to the rest of the chassis structure.
Current four-link systems also provide advantages over other known suspension systems because they provide a greater number of instant/center (I/C) choices than other suspension systems. The I/C or instant center is an imaginary point, determined as the center of a radius made by a moving suspension that is the point of lift (positive or negative). Moreover, current four-link suspension systems are also advantageous because they provide a wide range of possible location choices. These four-link systems further allow easy pinion angle changes, easy alignment of the rear to the centerline of a vehicle, and easy preload adjustments.
However, while advantageous over prior suspension systems, existing four-link suspension systems suffer from a variety of problems. For example, current four-link systems are delicate to tune and sensitive to adjust. Moreover, current four-link suspension systems have only a discrete number of adjustments to compensate for changes in track and weather conditions. The adjustment process for these four-link suspension systems is also relatively time consuming and can take up to 15 to 20 minutes, thereby possibly preventing necessary on-the-fly adjustments. This is because when adjustments were made, the configuration has to be changed. Additionally, the proper adjustment can only be determined through experimentation. It would therefore be desirable to provide a four-link suspension system that can be quickly and easily adjusted and also provides significantly more adjustment options.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a four-link suspension system with significantly increased flexibility to allow a configuration that meets the requirements of a particular environment.
It is a related object of the present invention to provide a four-link suspension system that is almost infinitely adjustable.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a four-link suspension system for a high performance vehicle, such as a race car, that provides increased rear wheel traction.
It is still another object of the present invention to provides a four-link suspension system that is lighter and stronger than prior designs.
It is yet another object of its the present invention to provide a four-link suspension system that can be adjusted without effecting pinion angle, pre-load, or wheel base change.
In accordance with the above and the other objects of the present invention, a four-link suspension system for a high performance vehicle is provided. The suspension system includes a main support bracket having a first side and a second side opposing the first side. The main support bracket has a first series of holes formed through the main support bracket and opening on each of the first and second sides. The main support bracket has a first link engageable with the first side and a second link engageable with the second side. The first link has one or more holes formed therethrough that are alignable with the first series of holes in the main support bracket. The second link has one or more holes formed therethrough that are also alignable with the first series of holes. Each of the first link and the second link have a first side and a second side. The holes formed in each of the links are alignable with the first series of holes in the main support bracket, when either the first side or the second side of either link engages the main support bracket.
The present invention itself, together with further objects and attendant advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.